SIMPLE BUT FABULOUS SUNDAY LASAGNA

On Sundays, my mother-in-law comes over to our house for family dinner. We don't go to her place, she comes to ours. One of the many reasons this happens is because I cook meals like this Italian classic with just a bit of French interpretation. It always pleases. The kids love it as much as the adults, and the second helpings inspire much more conversation around the table.

Keeping the sauce free of too many chunky vegetables (and keeping the mushrooms very small) makes the kids happy, and you can always use ground pork loin with a few extra herbs and brown sugar if someone in the family is opposed to sausage (just make sure it isn't more than 80% lean).

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Preparation

Soak the dried mushrooms in the red wine to rehydrate. After 10 minutes or so, remove the mushrooms and cube them into 1/8" pieces and return to the wine for another 10 minutes.
In a very large skillet, or heavy pot, sweat the chopped pancetta over medium heat until most of its fat has been rendered into the pan.
Add 2 Tbls of olive olive oil, carrot, onion, celery and 2 cloves of minced garlic to the pancetta. Season with a few pinches of salt and and pepper and increase the heat to medium-high and sweat until softened (stirring often).
Add the wine and mushrooms and stir until the moisture from the wine is virtually gone.
Add the ground beef and ground sausage and brown thoroughly.
Add the salt, herbs (and optional red pepper flake), diced tomatoes (juice and all) and the tomato paste. Mix well and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer covered for about an hour, stirring occasionally. (longer is better, but don't let it get too dry, add periodic splashes of water and/or wine as needed beyond the first hour.)
While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the water (to help control foaming) and prepare to cook pasta noodles so they'll be finished just a few minutes before you're ready to pull your sauce off the fire.
In a large mixing bowl, beat two eggs until frothy. Add ricotta cheese and 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley and beat until smooth. Mix in 3/4 lb of the mozzarella cheese and set aside.
Spoon just enough sauce to cover the bottom of a well oiled 9"x13" pan, add layers of noodles, cheese and sauce until pan is full. Finish with a layer of sauce and remaining 1/4 lb of mozzarella cheese mixed with 1/2 Cup of Parmesan.
Bake at 375ºF for 40 to 50 minutes, or until cheese on top is golden-brown and bubbly. Let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes before cutting.
Serve with a small salad, some fresh baked bread and a complex red wine. Enjoy!